Table of Contents
Overview
When Jesus delivered the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24–25), the disciples asked Him three questions (Matt 24:3), which are expanded to four when we include Luke 21:7. Jesus answers all four questions—but not in the order asked. He also gives an extra, unasked answer clarifying what are not signs of the end.
The Disciples’ Questions
Matthew 24:3
“Tell us, (1) when will these things happen, and (2) what will be the sign of Your coming, and (3) of the end of the age?”
Luke 21:7
“Teacher, (1) when therefore will these things happen? And (1a) what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”
Resulting in Four Questions
- When will the temple be destroyed?
- What will be the sign of Your coming?
- What will be the sign of the end of the age?
- (1A) What signs will precede the temple’s destruction?
Jesus’ Answers
Summary table listing the order in which He answers
Summary Table
| Order | Question # | Topic | Answered In |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra | — | What are NOT signs of the end | Matt 24:4–6, 24; Luke 21:8 |
| 1 | Q3 | What are the signs of the end of the age | Matt 24:7–14; Luke 21:10-11 |
| 2 | Q1 | When will the temple be destroyed | Luke 21:12-19 |
| 3 | Q1A | What signs precede temple destruction | Luke 21:20–24 |
| 4 | Q2 | What is the sign of Your coming? | Matt 24:9, 27-29; Luke 21:12, 25 |
EXTRA — What Are NOT Signs of the End
Matthew 24:4–6 (NASB2020)
4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.
5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people.
6 And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.”
Cross References
Luke 21:8–9
8 And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.
9 And when you hear of wars and revolts, do not be alarmed; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.”
Matthew 24:24
24 “For false christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”
Q3 – What Are the Signs of the End of the Age?
Matthew 24:7–14 (NASB2020)
7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.
9 Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
10 And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another.
11 And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people.
12 And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold.
13 But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved.
14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Cross References
Luke 21:10–11
10 Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,
11 and there will be massive earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrible sights and great signs from heaven.”
Romans 8:22
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
1 Thessalonians 5:3
3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction will come upon them like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Revelation 6:3–8
[Full seal judgments showing war, famine, and death — condensing for length here, but can expand if needed.]
2 Timothy 3:1–5
1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these.
1 Thessalonians 1:10
10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is, Jesus who rescues us from the wrath to come.
Matthew 28:19–20
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Revelation 14:6–7
6 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people;
7 and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth, and the sea and the springs of waters.”
Mark 13:10
10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
Q1 - When will the temple be destroyed
Luke 21:12-19
12 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, turning you over to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors on account of My name.
13 It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.
14 So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;
15 for I will provide you eloquence and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to oppose or refute.
16 But you will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, other relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death,
17 and you will be hated by all people because of My name.
18 And yet not a hair of your head will perish.
19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.”
Cross References
2 Tim 3:12
12 “Indeed, all who want to live in a godly way in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Revelation 2:10
10 “Do not fear what you are about to suffer… Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Q1A – What Are the Signs the Temple Is About to Be Destroyed?
Luke 21:20–24 (NASB2020)
20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.
21 Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are inside the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city;
22 because these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled.
23 Woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people;
24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
Cross References
Acts 5:17–18
17 But the high priest stood up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.
18 They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public prison.
Acts 7:57–60
57 But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one mind.
58 When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 12:1–3
1 Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm.
2 And he had James the brother of John executed with a sword.
3 When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well. (Now these were the days of Unleavened Bread.)
Luke 19:43–44
43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will put up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side,
44 and they will level you to the ground, along with your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
Daniel 9:26
26 Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.
Matthew 23:38
38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!
Q2 – What Will Be the Sign of Your Coming?
Matthew 24:9,27-29 (NASB2020)
9 “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.” 27 “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
Cross References
Daniel 9:27
27 And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate.
Daniel 11:31
31 Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.
Daniel 12:11
11 And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
2 Thessalonians 2:3–4
3 No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
Revelation 13:5–7
5 A mouth was given to him speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
7 It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority was given to him over every tribe, people, language, and nation.
Zechariah 14:1–5
1 Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoils taken from you will be divided among you.
2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be taken, the houses plundered, the women raped.
3 Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.
4 On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east;
5 And you will flee by the valley of My mountains… Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!
Isaiah 13:10
10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash their light; The sun will be dark when it rises, And the moon will not shed its light.
Isaiah 34:4
4 And all the heavenly lights will wear away, And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All its lights will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, Or as one withers from the fig tree.
Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15
2:10 Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon become dark, And the stars lose their brightness.
2:31 The sun will be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
3:15 The sun and moon have become dark, And the stars have lost their brightness.
Revelation 6:12–14
12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;
13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth…
14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up…
Revelation 19:11–21
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: “KING OF KINGS, AND Lord OF LORDS.”
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great feast of God,
18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, both free and slaves, and small and great.”
19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse, and against His army.
20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone.
21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
Isaiah 27:13
13 On that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Deuteronomy 30:4
4 If any of your scattered countrymen are at the ends of the earth, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back.
Revelation 7:1
1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree.